This invention pertains generally to firearms and, more specifically, to a trigger assembly for use in a firearm having a security apparatus.
Over the years, there has been a continuous effort to improve the security and operation of conventional firearms. Improvements in electronics technology has allowed certain mechanical firing systems and components in firearms to be replaced by electronic components. For example, a mechanical trigger bar is displaced by an electronic solenoid in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,085, xe2x80x9cELECTRONIC FIRING SYSTEM FOR TARGET PISTOLxe2x80x9d. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,153, for a xe2x80x9cFIREARM BATTERY AND CONTROL MODULExe2x80x9d, a firearm using conventional percussion primers incorporates a processor into its ignition system.
Electronics have also been incorporated into ignition systems for firearms that use non-conventional primers and cartridges. U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,174, for xe2x80x9cELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEMS FOR FIREARMxe2x80x9d, describes an electronic control system for firing electronically-primed ammunition. The electronic control of the ""174 patent, however, is hard-wired and lacks the multiple sensor interfaces of the programmable central processing unit that is found with the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,972, for a xe2x80x9cGUN WITH ELECTRICALLY FIRED CARTRIDGExe2x80x9d, describes an electrically-fired gun in which a heat-sensitive primer is ignited by voltage induced across a fuse wire extending through the primer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,828, for a xe2x80x9cCOMBINED CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE AND POWER SUPPLY FOR A FIREARMxe2x80x9d, shows a laser ignited primer in which an optically transparent plug or window is centered in the case of the cartridge to permit laser ignition of the primer. Power requirements to energize the laser, as well as availability of fused and or laser-ignited primers are problematic, however. U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,056, for an xe2x80x9cELECTRONIC FIREARM AND PROCESS FOR CONTROLLING AN ELECTRONIC FIREARMxe2x80x9d, shows a firearm for firing electrically-activated ammunition having a cartridge sensor and a bolt position sensor. The technology of the ""056 patent, however, is limited to a firearm with a bolt action.
Much of the effort in recent years to integrate electronics into firearms stems from a desire to effectively restrict the person or persons who are able to operate the firearm. There have also been numerous attempts to incorporate external, mechanical locking devices such as keyed locks which prevent movement of the trigger or firing mechanism. The downside of such external locking devices is that they are often cumbersome and timely to disable, and thus impractical for use on the person or in situations where the firearm must quickly be readied to fire.
None of the firearms discussed or cited above disclose a trigger assembly for a firearm which, when manipulated, is capable of magnetically activating an electronic firing apparatus thereby inducing an electronic firing signal to be communicated to a chambered, non-percussively fired ammunition cartridge. The present invention is directed to such a trigger assembly.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a trigger assembly for use in a firearm capable of firing non-percussively fired ammunition cartridges.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a trigger assembly for use in a firearm capable of firing non-percussively fired ammunition cartridges which utilizes a magnetic switch for initiating generation of a firing signal.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a trigger assembly for use in a firearm which utilizes a magnetic switch for initiating generation of a firing signal while giving an operator of the firearm the tactile sensation of a percussively fired firearm.
According to the present invention, a trigger assembly is proposed for a firearm having a firing apparatus for generating a firing signal to a non-percussively fired ammunition cartridge for discharge of the cartridge. The trigger assembly includes a trigger member rotationally fixed to a frame of the firearm by a transverse pin and a trigger bar operatively fixed to the trigger member about a pivot joint. The trigger assembly further includes a trigger magnet fixed to a distal end of the trigger bar, where manipulation of said trigger member causes the trigger member to rotate and induces an approximately linear movement of the trigger bar causing the trigger magnet to move adjacent a firing activation switch.